Its location in the Windsor-West Hants Industrial Park is perfect. Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. is a primary customer of Quality Machining Services, which is located at the mid-point of a triangle formed by Michelin’s three tire plants in Nova Scotia.

The business also has key customers in Halifax Regional Municipality and Bridgewater. Apart from fixing some farm machinery and meeting the machining needs of local businesses, Quality Machining Services only does custom work, such as fabricating products for offshore safety training.

This Valley business has secured its competitive edge through the “quality of the work, on-time delivery, and experience,” said Mike Brown, president.

Another advantage is their workforce. “Our whole workforce is from the Valley,” said Sheldon McLellan, general manager. Both men grew up in small communities in the area and built their careers at this business. Most of their workforce is recruited from the Nova Scotia Community College, which delivers a two-year diploma in machining at the Kingstec campus in nearby Kentville.

When new recruits start work, the business invests in their training and development. “We grow our own workforce,” said McLellan, who is confident that strong demand from Nova Scotia industry can support growth in production and in the skilled workforce, so long as the Windsor business can recruit more employees.